Over two decades later, RACKS continues to deliver the same quality of homey, mouthwatering, all-American dishes that customers just keep coming back for. Last week, RACKS Philippines opened its 15th and 16th branches, one in Timog Avenue, Quezon City and Evia Lifestyle Center in Alabang.

I was at the launch of their Timog Branch and I was wowed with their new look, it’s huge and the large American-style windows invites you to come in. Looks like I’m in a Tagaytay restaurant and not along Timog Avenue.

According to Mr. Chukri Prieto, they want to reflect the southern country style on their restaurants’ design. They want to create a warm, homey atmosphere where people can sit back, relax and have fun while enjoying great comfort food with their significant other, family or friends.

RACKS Timog branch is so spacious, perfect for parties or meetings since spaces can be divided, in this branch, I think it can have 3 private spaces.

Photo taken while at the middle party area

Aside from their flame-grilled, falls-off-the-bone ribs, here are other sumptuous American-style dishes that you can try.

Onion Brick

Onion Brick, Php 180, good for sharing

Spot.ph named it as the best onion rings in town. Thinly-sliced onion rings, marinated, spiced, and lightly breaded, then deep-fried to a crisp. The magic here is it’s lightly breaded just to make it crunchy so you can still taste the onions. The two sauces are great complements but it’s still yummy when eaten as it is.

Salad with Blackened Chicken Strips

Salad with Blackened Chicken Strips, Php 295

A triple portion of Classic Caesar salad topped with tender Cajun-rubbed, blackened chicken strips. Crisp fresh veggies in a cream Caesar dressing, I like it because they drizzled it generously.

Garlic Scampi Pasta, Php 295

Spaghetti pasta sauteed in chili garlic olive oil mixture, added with shrimps and broccoli florets. This is one of my fave and will include this on my must-order list.

Angus Au Jus

Angus Au Jus, Php 765

Juicy and tender Angus beef, perfectly cooked (according to your preference) with a nice marbling. If you want to indulge and give in to your luxurious craving, this is a must-try.

Memphis Pound Cake

Mississippi Mud Pie

A moist chocolate fudge brownie laden with gooey chocolate inside on a bed of thick choco syrup topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. I’m really not a fan of ala-mode desserts but this one satisfied my sweet cravings sans the whipped cream.

RACKS also has Family Platters which is perfect for dining in groups and family. We had lunch on Valentines Day at their Timog Branch and we had Ribs & Chicken Platter for Php 1795. We upgraded to Java Rice and a pitcher of iced tea. We were so full and we still had for take-out good for our dinner.

The dimsum gods heard my prayers when I wished that Tim Ho Wan will open more branches aside from SM Megamall. I’ve been wanting to dine their branch in SM Megamall but the lines were always discouraging me to line up. Months later, it’s confirmed that Tim Ho Wan will be opening a branch in SM City North Edsa, it will be beside Project Pie at the mall’s main building.

Hey guys, your ramen girl is back! You may have noticed the lack of ramen posts here but that doesn’t mean that I’m no longer a ramen monster. I still get my ramen fix and already tried Ramen Nagi, Mitsuyado Sei-Men, and Hanamaruken Ramen. I promise to write about them and let me start with Hanamaruken Ramen in Trinoma.

I think yesterday was our 5th visit in Hanamaruken Ramen in Trinoma. We dined here with our friends on its opening month, the succeeding visits were with my family to have our ramen fix.

Hanamaruken Ramen is a franchise from Osaka, Japan. It was created by a family of butchers in 1982. It is a subsidiary of the Arakawa Pork Company, a reputable supplier of high-quality meat in Osaka, Japan. Hence, it not only brings the flavors of Osaka through its ramen but also with its meat.

We were at SM Mall of Asia for some late Christmas shopping and to watch the Grand Festival of Lights. After watching the parade, we got hungry so we thought of some places to eat in SM MOA. I refused to eat in our usual food choices so we walked around while scouting for a place to eat. When we passed by Watami Philippines, I suggested that we give this a try.

Since it’s the season of celebrations, parties and reunions here and there, Shakey’s has the best deal for you. Shakey’s is one of our go-to-places whenever we’re dining for big groups like team building, get-together, etc. Their monster deals are value for money, you already have pizza, pasta, appetizers, and drinks. But there’s an even better deal all you Shakey’s Pizza lovers cannot resist.

Tokyo Tokyo is one of the restaurants that is close to my heart because this is where we eat during special occasions back when Jeff and I were still in college. Special occasion means monthsary hihi… I remember the Sumo Meal at that time costs Php 199 only. Today, Tokyo Tokyo is the Philippines’ leading Japanese restaurant chain and it continues to innovate with their delicious Japanese food.

I got invited to an autumn affair last week together with my kumares to launch their newest offerings in time for the holidays.

Peachy of www.thepeachkitchen.com; Pehpot of www.pehpot.com; Levy of www.levyousa.com As if namang di nyo sila kilala…

It was a long night for us last Friday, we stayed at the memorial park until midnight and just slept for a few hours. So on Saturday, after having lunch at our friend’s house, we headed to Alabang Town Center to pass the time. Gwen played a bit at McDonald’s play area before proceeding to even more rides at ATC’s activity area where Timezone’s kiddie games are located.

After a few rounds in the mall, it’s time to eat! We wanted to try a new ramen joint in Westgate for my birthday, libre daw ako ni Jeff :p, but I said to just choose from the restos in ATC since we’re already there. We chose from the rows of the restaurants in the Garden Wing starting from Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen, Crisostomo, John & Yoko, and Shi Lin. It’s my birthday and I get to choose what to eat, and I chose Shi Lin because I want to eat Xiao Long Bao.

We went around 4 pm and there were only 2 or 3 occupied tables. We were promptly seated at the couch. I like Shi Lin’s modern interior, with just a hint of oriental touch. There’s a glass where you can see the kitchen and the staff making your dumplings.

Without even looking at the menu, I’m decided on my first order, Xiao Long Bao. The server went ahead to tell our order to the kitchen and just went back to get our other orders after scanning their menu.

First in, first out. Six pieces of piping hot Xiao Long Bao housed in a larger than usual steamer basket were placed in front of me. It’s like putting a birthday cake and letting me blow the candles.

Xiao Long Bao, 6 pieces for Php 165

I scooped out one dumpling in my spoon, pierced through its skin and delicately sipped it’s soup. It’s not as soupy as I expected but it’s tasty I don’t even have to dip it in my vinegar/soy sauce/chili garlic combo. Oh and the meat, it’s so juicy and soft I’m struggling for them not to break when I dip the meat. The Xiao Long Bao’s skin has a bite to it but I like munching on them even it’s thicker skin on top.

I also ordered the Shrimp and Pork Shaomai.

Shrimp and Pork Shaomai, 6 pcs. for Php 195

Photo on the menu looks inviting but what arrived lacks color from the shrimp. It’s not as plump and big too. This is called such because shrimp goes on top and the pork is inside. It turned out that like the Xiao Long Bao, it also has a soup inside. Same issue with the skin, thick on top that holds the shrimp.

Jeff had Noodles with Vegetables and Pork Wonton.

Noodles with Vegetables and Pork Wonton, Php 185

I was doubtful at first if Jeff will like something with clear broth. I first suggested the Braised Beef Noodles but he insisted on this, okay walang sisihan. Surprisingly, the broth is very flavorful sans the appetizing color. The egg noodles were cooked with just the right bite. There’s a hint of sesame in the soup but it doesn’t overpower the taste. The vegetable dumplings didn’t add any flavor to the soup, though. Overall, I like how this soup left a clean taste on my palate.

spot the sleeping Gwen

Just for the Xiao Long Bao and the noodles, we will definitely visit and try other dumplings at Shi Lin.

I’ve heard about Project Pie months ago when they first opened in Mandaluyong. The idea of making your own customized pizza excites me, but since it’s too far, I’ll have to wait out a bit for a branch to open near my place. Finally, Project Pie opens up a branch in SM North Edsa, it is located at the Upper Ground Floor of the Main Building, beside Cinderella. As expected for a newly opened resto, lines are longer than usual.

Have you seen the latest commercial of Max’s Restaurant featuring Coco Martin? When I first saw it, I was surprised to know that Coco Martin was a former waiter at Max’s Restaurant. Now, look at where he is, an award-winning actor in the country today. That’s why choosing him to be in the Max’s commercial is very apt and I’m sure a lot of us will be inspired with his #SarapNgSuccess story.

Halo-halo is the perfect Pinoy cooler during summer. Most Filipino restaurants have their own version, from the affordable ones in fastfood such as Chowking and to the most expensive like The Peninsula Manila’s halo-halo. My personal favorite is Razon’s halo-halo, I like my halo-halo simple, not too many ingredients and with a generous amount of milk. Last Sunday, Jeff was craving for halo-halo but there’s no Razon’s near our place. Then I suddenly remembered an episode at Rated K featuring Kabigting’s Halo-halo in Banawe.